Virtual Open-Office Floor Plan for Spontaneous Remote Collaboration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions fail to unify remote work with maintaining working efficiency and creativity by promoting unplanned interaction between remote employees, lacking real-time communication and collaboration platforms for everyday team collaboration.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and UC application emulate a physical, open-office environment by creating a virtual floor plan with distance-based team positioning, adjusting conversation volumes, and providing visual and audio indications to replicate a real office atmosphere for remote workers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If video conferencing and telephony are used to communicate with distant colleagues, then communication capability is improved, but the open-office environment and spontaneous collaboration are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical open-office environment by rendering a three-dimensional model of the office space. This virtual replica includes avatars representing colleagues, allowing remote users to interact with a simulated environment that replicates spontaneous collaboration without requiring physical presence. The virtual office copy maintains the social and collaborative dynamics of the physical space while enabling remote participation.
2Ease of operation
If employees work from home, then work-life balance is improved, but collaboration with colleagues deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual office environment as an intermediary between home work settings and collaborative needs. This virtual space serves as a mediator that enables employees working from home to still engage in spontaneous collaboration with colleagues. The system translates physical office interactions into virtual representations, allowing remote workers to participate in meetings, brainstorming sessions, and informal conversations without leaving their home environment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a virtual office environment is created, then collaboration capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the virtual office system to serve multiple functions within a single integrated platform. The same virtual environment supports various collaboration activities including meetings, presentations, brainstorming, and informal conversations. The system handles multiple user roles (employees, managers, guests) and device types (desktops, tablets, mobile devices) through a unified architecture, reducing overall system complexity compared to having separate solutions for each function.
4Quantity of substance
If physical office space is reduced or eliminated, then real estate costs are reduced, but team cohesion deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the physical mechanical presence of colleagues in an office space with a virtual representation system. Instead of requiring physical proximity for team cohesion, the system uses three-dimensional avatars and spatial audio to simulate the presence and interactions of team members. This substitution maintains social bonding and team cohesion while eliminating the need for expensive physical office real estate.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for emulating a physical, open-office environment in which a plurality of teams (5, 6, 7) are working, each team (5, 6, 7) having a plurality of team members (1, 2, 3), wherein at least one team member (1) of a first team (5) is working remotely, and wherein the at least one remotely working team member (1) is connected to the other team members and to other teams (6, 7) by using a Unified Communications, UC, application for collaborating and communicating with the other team members and the other teams (6, 7), wherein the method comprises the steps of providing a list of team members (1, 2, 3), wherein the team members (1, 2, 3) are grouped according to the team (5, 6, 7) they are working with; establishing a virtual floor plan comprising the location of every team (5, 6, 7) in a virtual office, wherein the location of every team (5, 6, 7) on the virtual floor plan corresponds to the arrangement of the teams (5, 6, 7) in a real physical office building; determining the distance between the teams (5, 6, 7) on the virtual floor plan according to the distance between the teams in the real physical office building; detecting the conversations of the respective teams (5, 6, 7); and outputting the conversations of the respective teams (5, 6, 7) via an output device located at the least one remotely working team member (1, 2, 3), wherein the volume of the conversations of the respective teams is adapted according to the distance between the teams (5, 6, 7) so as to provide a working atmosphere according to the real physical office building. Further, the present invention relates to a communication system for real time communication and collaboration, which comprises a server and a plurality of clients, wherein the server is adapted to run the UC application and to a communication system with each client comprising at least one output device.